17 



ciders. These names are, in fact, more to l)e relied upon as having a 

 definite meaning so far as the strength and purity of the article is 

 concerned. 



The common cider of Germany is made just as they make ordinar}' 

 light wines, and their cider is, in fact as well as in name, a wine. It 

 will show from 3.75 to 4.50 or nearly 5 per cent of alcohol, varying 

 with the character of the fruit, and the ordinar}- cider is a dry, light 

 wine of very insipid taste to the American palate when not charged 

 with carbon dioxid. These ciders are kept in casks and drawn as 

 wanted. 



The "export apt'el wein'' is made practically in the same manner 

 from selected fruit, but is either bottled when there is still sugar 

 enough to saturate it with gas or is saturated artificially. It may 

 show 4.5 to 5 or 5.5 per cent of alcohol and is a still light wine. 



The "champagner apfel wein'' or '"schaum apfel wein" is much 

 like champagne from grape wines. At a proper stage the cider is 

 clarified, sugared, and bottled, and carried through the processes 

 described hereafter. 



The ''"Boersdorfer apfel wein" is simph' a name given to indicate a 

 product supposedh^ made from the Boersdorfer apple, but it was not 

 evident that this brand had any special qualities not found in a good 

 export grade. 



The "Speierling apfel wein," however, is a cider made by using a 

 small proportion of the juice from the wild fruit known to botanists as 

 Pyrus {Sorhus) domestica. This tree was found growing to giant pro- 

 portions on the Taunus mountains about Soden. The fruit when fullv 

 ripe and touched by frost becomes very mellow and has an agreeable 

 flavor, but before ripening it is characterized by a pungent, acrid 

 juice so rich in tannin as to remind one of the unripe American per- 

 simmon in its effect on the mucous membrane of the mouth. The 

 juice of this wild fruit is added to apple juice in small quantity, not 

 over 5 per cent, and by reason of the tannin contained is thought to 

 produce a finer cider, which is more easily clarified, and to furjiish in 

 the finished product a superior flavor and bouquet. (PI. I, fig. '1.) 



It can not be said that the German ciders appeal to the American 

 palate, 'with the exception of their champagne ciders and the very 

 finest of the other grades; but that the}' are well-made standard goods 

 is most certainly true. 



In Germany great quantities of fresh, partly fermented cider are 

 offered at the restaurants in the fall season. This they call '' rauscher" 

 or "siiss apfel wein" (smoking or sweet cider). The brothers Freyei- 

 sen stated that they sold ordinarily about 5.000 hectoliters of such 

 cider each year in Frankfort during the making season. This would 

 be about 132,000 gallons. 



17247— No. 71—03 2 



